82 PROMOTING AND PROTECTING MINORITY RIGHTS In collaboration with the Council of Europe, UNESCO is promoting basic education for Roma children, who suffer from discrimination in terms of not only their access to basic education but also the nature of education they receive in school. UNESCO has mobilized a number of its partners through its Associated Schools Programme (ASPnet). Many ASPnet schools have been involved in school-based projects against discrimination such as the ASPnet All Equal in Diversity International Campaign. Social sciences, human rights and the struggle against discrimination and intolerance In order to contribute to the fight against racism and discrimination, UNESCO is strengthening its research on the link between current forms of racism and discrimination and certain traditional prejudices and forms of discrimination. It is researching the construction of identities in multicultural and multi-ethnic societies, analysing the discrimination and exclusion to which it may give rise and searching for responses which respect the diversity of identity. It is launching studies and mobilizing the scientific community and the public to raise awareness about the emergence of potential new forms of discrimination. As part of this initiative, special attention is being paid to the stigmatization and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS and new epidemics. International Coalition of Cities against Racism, Discrimination, Xenophobia and Intolerance Cities are places where people from different backgrounds, origins, religions, social classes, ethnic groups and nationalities live and work together. The city can be a place where fear, hatred and discrimination prevail or a place of inclusiveness, harmony and mutual respect. Even though Governments have responsibilities and legal obligations, cities can play a major role in building inclusive societies. It is in this context that the creation of an International Coalition of Cities against Racism, Discrimination, Xenophobia and Intolerance was first conceived. The project aims at assisting municipalities to develop and strengthen their policies for greater social inclusion. It encourages partnership-building in the struggle against discrimination and exclusion in cities around the world. Following the establishment of six regional coalitions, the International Coalition was launched in June 2008. It allows cities to exchange experiences and information, to learn from one another, to jointly evaluate policy impacts and to commit to undertaking certain actions collectively. Youth UNESCO considers the energy and motivation of young people to be outstanding assets for launching positive change, particularly with respect to the action needed to counter all forms of discrimination. Its strategy for acting with and for young people was based on the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1995. To promote the participation of young people in policymaking at different levels, every two years UNESCO organizes the UNESCO Youth Forum, bringing together youth representatives from across the globe. The seventh UNESCO Youth Forum in 2011 discussed “How Youth Drive Change”. The MOST programme MOST (Management of Social Transformation) is a UNESCO research programme designed and managed by the Sector of Social Science which promotes international comparative social science research. MOST focuses on the nature of change in multicultural and multi-ethnic societies in which issues of education, culture and religion, identity and human needs, democratic governance, conflict and cohesion interact in complex patterns. This research should help in designing policies which contribute to achieving equal citizenship rights among ethnic groups